UPDATE: Blue Jays say hey, no way

UPDATE Jan. 5, 2016: Holden responded by Twitter debunking the Holden flying the coop rumour, however it sounds like the Viking team may be a go in the Battle River Baseball League.

There is a team in Viking but it shouldn’t affect us much.

– Holden Blue Jays via Twitter

Viking is about the same distance from the centre of Edmonton as Rosalind and a quick hop and jump to some extent for Holden and the aforementioned Rosalind. This begins to forge out the question of many years as to when perhaps the BRBL and PBL may eventually join in some sort of way. Unlikely, but so too, did it seem with Rosalind.

Some divisional rivalries broken into groups of east, central and west could look interesting perhaps:

• Holden, Rosalind and Viking
• Armena, Beaumont and Leduc
• Bardo, Camrose and Ryley

Then throw in Heisler, Spring Lake, Cold Lake, Killam for that matter… wait.

Winter ponderings mean little. Until spring has sprung, we ponder what we will for no good reason.

—

After enjoying their first full season with more than eight teams in the league since 2004, the Powerline Baseball League will be regrouping in 2015 to examine who will be coming back.

One of the teams not expected to bolt would seemingly be the Holden Blue Jays, who have been one of the most successful modern day expansion franchises to enter the league.

Only anonymous sources at this point have pointed to a movement in Viking to add senior baseball to the town of just a little more than 1,000 and home to the Sutter brothers. The Viking men’s hockey team folded a few years back but multiple sources have confirmed jerseys and a field are ready and a band of men are preparing to enter the Battle River Baseball League, and looking to potentially reach out to a few Holden Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays did not respond via Twitter and PBL President Craig Neufeld had not heard any news, saying he would follow up with them in the off-season. No doubt many are in the  haze of hockey, winter and whiskey-drinking season, however the news is interesting seeing Holden has been such a great addition to the PBL for more than half a decade now. There is a possibility players could play in both leagues as the Battle River League usually plays just once a week on Wednesdays. Though they did expand to a couple twice-a-week games throughout the year.

The Jays have been up and down since joining the league in 2010, however when they are up they’ve been very successful with three finals appearances in 2011, 2013 and 2014, which included a regular season title in 2013. 2015 marked only the second season the Jays did not enjoy a winning record and missed the playoffs.

With the new year upon us, teams are no doubt assessing their returning rosters. More to come in the coming weeks on all the teams.